God’s Purpose For Marriage- An Example
“By this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you have love one for another.
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As we wrap up this month’s theme: “What’s God’s Plan for Marriage,” we have seen that marriage is serious and purposed by God. We know from previous weeks that God’s purpose for marriage is that the ‘Two Become One Flesh,’ that both husband and wife are each other’s ‘Ezer Kenegdo,’ and last week we found out that another aspect of this purpose is that a husband is his wife’s covering. Today, we see that God purposed marriage to be an example, where those around a Godly couple should be able to see Jesus in their union.
According to the article: A Biblical Perspective of Marriage from crosswalk.com marriage is witness to the world:
“Marriage is a significant institution by which a lost world can see Christianity in action. It’s the most intimate of human relationships in which husbands and wives learn to model Christ’s love. It is the 18-year training ground for children so that they can also love ‘one another,’ and it provides a unique opportunity to reflect God as a couple. And, it provides a platform for accomplishing God’s intentions for mankind.”
Think of all the marriages around you. I’m sure you know of some really good inspiring ones and some that aren’t so inspiring. We often don’t think that people aren’t taking notice of us but they are, no matter if we’re famous or not famous. As Christians, people are looking at our faith walk and our faith talk, and how we act and react to the challenges of life. And our marriages are no different. Our marriages have the power to inspire and encourage those who are scared of marriage, those who don’t believe in the sacredness of it, or those who aren’t letting the Fruit of the Spirit flow out of them so they have a more God-centered union. And it shows the power to show our children what a healthy marriage and home should look like for when they grow up and possibly pursue marriage for themselves.
One couple from the Bible that inspires me is Aquila and Priscilla. They were Jews and tanners like Paul who had been kicked out of Pontus (modern day Turkey) by Claudius. They grew in the wisdom and knowledge of Jesus, and were very committed to God, the early church, and Paul. They were always opening up their homes to those that needed a place to stay, though they may not have had much themselves as they artisans. But, they had hearts to bless God’s Kingdom in any way they could. Their marriage and ministry inspires me. I have been traveling the most part of the past 10 years to many nations and God has used couples, who have opened up their homes to me. And because of this, I want to do the same and bless missionaries that pass my city who may need a place to stay.
It’s when we are genuine followers of Jesus and the Word, and we truly love God, ourselves and others- and most especially our Kingdom partners (spouse) that others will see that unity and love. It is an example to them, which hopefully will lead to the Gospel message taking root in their own lives.